Disney's The Incredibles

Since all the action takes place in a 2D environment, the majority of the levels are executed in the vein of classics like Final Fight and Streets of Rage.  Whereas most side-scrollers have flat platforms, the ground in The Incredibles is somewhat tilted, meaning that you have greater movement throughout each area.  Enemies might be standing next to you, but appear to be standing over or even on top of you, when in actuality they're just a little to the side.  But you don't press left or right in this scenario – that's what you do when you want to go from one end of the level to the next.  In this case you'll be pressing up or down to reach the enemy.

Mr. Incredible's super strength means optimal power when taking on enemies.  Even though The Incredibles movie has an ensemble cast, Mr. Incredible has the most moves of any character in the game.  Technically he's the star of this adventure. 

Not limited to a single punch or a three-punch combo, Mr. Incredible can perform uppercuts, ground slams, jump attacks, and has two different charge (running) moves.  He can punch diagonally, stomp characters from above, and unleash powerful air kicks.  All of these moves are executed with just two buttons: A and B.  The L and R buttons are thrown in every now and then (you can only do so much with two buttons), but that doesn't make the moves any harder to perform.  To run with Mr. Incredible, press left-left or right-right.  Follow up with the B button to make him charge.  Hold the L button while doing this and Mr. Incredible will do an Incredi-Charge, which knocks over all enemies in front of him, but with even more power.

Mrs. Incredible doesn't have nearly as many moves: attack, flail, feather fall, and elastic punch.  That's about all she can do.  The flail move stuns enemies, preventing a group assault; feather fall turns her body into a parachute; and the elastic punch stretches her arm to grab enemies and steal their weapons.

Dash has even fewer moves.  His levels are mostly about running away from the enemy, which is how he defends himself in the movie.  The Incredi-Sprint and Incredi-Flurry are his only special moves.  The former gives Dash an extra burst of speed to dodge enemies and safely avoid dangerous objects.  The latter is a move that can only be performed after landing on a velocipod enemy.  Execute the move immediately to take out the velocipod pilot.

Violet has a little more variety than her brother, but she's not used much in the game (or in the film's marketing campaign.  Have you noticed that all the commercials for SBC and other sponsors involve Dash, Mr. Incredible, and/or Mrs. Incredible?  Violet appears briefly in the McDonald's commercial – that's it).  Her moves include: invisibility and a force field that can deflect attacks, as well as dealing damage to the enemy. 

This style of gameplay has always had the same flaw: it's very repetitive.  The Incredibles tries to break up the repetition by having five playable characters, including the guy who can't find his super suit – Frozone.  For hardcore gamers, young or old, this won't mean much.  The game is short and not overly difficult.  The Frozone levels are very basic: press two buttons to perform jumps and avoid getting killed.  It would've been awesome if they had created some in-depth Frozone levels.

Young gamers (under 10) who are not as skilled at gaming, or have a strong love for all things related to The Incredibles -- that's who this game was made for.  It's disappointing that the game wasn't designed for a wider audience, but some people still perceive Pixar movies as being kids movies.  That won't change with their next release, Cars, a film that will almost certainly get a G rating (The Incredibles was rated PG).  Hopefully someday they'll realize that the content, target audience, and entertainment value of a film should be what decides what goes into the game.

Gameplay: 7
Side-scrolling beat-'em-up action with your favorite superheroes.  Worth a rental, and worth stealing from your little brother.  But not worth buying for yourself.

Graphics: 7
Very cartoony.  The GBA has seen better, but it's also seen a lot worse.

Sound: 6

Difficulty: Easy
Not an incredibly challenging experience.

Concept: 6
A gaming experience like every other.  Now featuring the stars of The Incredibles.

Overall: 7
Fun but repetitive, easy and short, The Incredibles is best suited for the few gamers who aren't kicking butt at something more difficult...like Crash Bandicoot.  Yeah, Crash is an easy game too, but that's the point.  Six-year-olds will dig it, but that's not who the movie was made for.  There weren't any kids in the theater the first time I saw it.  If that doesn't say something about Pixar's movies and the audience they've gained, nothing will.

However, it must be said that out of all the Finding Nemo and Shark Tale games released this year and the last, The Incredibles is far superior.  The gameplay is much more rewarding, even though it's over in a flash.